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F. A. LUKE.

STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13,- 1919.

l 32Q 629. Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

amwmto 'c Fred 4 Z042 FRED A. LUKE, OF KALISPELL, MONTANA.

STEAM-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

Application filed June 13, 1919. Serial No. 303,861.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED A. LUKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kalispell, in the county of Flathead and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines, and more particularly to a rotary steam engine Or turbine, the primary object being to provide an apparatus of this character which will operate with no loss of steam and which will employ complementary rotors having steam pockets provided with properly inclined walls against which the steam acts for rotating the rotor in the proper direction.

A further object of this invention is the production of a device of this character which consists of comparatively few parts and is simple in construction but durable and well adapted to withstand the rough usage towhich devices of this character are ordinarily subjected.

For a full description of the invention and the advantages and merits thereof, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the engine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken approximately on the line 22 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is a section taken on the line d i of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a detail section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, wherein is illustrated the preferred form of my invention, in which like numerals of reference indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, the turbine housing 1 is of circular formation and is mounted upon a pedestal 2 and has its open end provided with removable closure plates 3 and 4. Extended centrally through the turbine housing and through suitable bearings in the closure plate is a shaft 5 the central portion of which is provided with the keys 6. Mounted upon the shaft and engaged by the keys to turn therewith are the complementary rotors 7 and 8 which form the turbine within the housing 1. The interior of the housing is provided with an annular centrally located recess 9 and each member 7 and 8 is equipped with an annular flange projected into the said annular recess as shown to advantage in Figs. 3 and 4:. The faces of the rotors 7 and 8 are spaced apart and these rotors are also longitudinally slidable on the shaft. Studs 10 carried by one rotor project into recesses formed in the adjacent face of the other rotor and coil springs 11 surround the stud and engage the adjacent faces of the rotors to force them away from each other until such time as the steam is admitted. As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, each rotor is provided with a plurality of steam pockets 13 which are circumferentially spaced apart and are tapered as shown in Fig. 6 by providing a straight wall 14 and the angular wall 15 terminating at the bottom wall 16. Four of these pockets are provided in each rotor and the rotors are positioned on the shaft so that the pockets in the two rotors will be out of axial alinement. In other words, the pockets in one rotor are attached so as to be in axial alinement with a point midway between two pockets in the other rotor.

Each plate 3 and 4- is provided with an inlet opening 17 to which the steam pipe 18 is connected. The steam pipe includes the two branches 19, the ends of which are joined to the inlet 17 the branches 19 receiving the steam from the main supply pipe 18. A feed pipe 20 is projected from the center of the steam pipe through the wall of the housing and into the space between the rotors, so that steam will be received in this space to urge the rotors away from each other and press their faces into tight contact with the adjacent faces of the plates 3 and 4. Packing glands may be provided on the inner portions of the rotors where the openings for the shaft are provided to prevent leakage of steam through the shaft openings in the rotors. Obviously packing glands may be provided for this purpose wherever required.

Each plate 8 and 4c is also provided with an exhaust opening 21, this opening being located in each plate so as to receive the exhaust steam from the pockets 12 prior to the alinement of the pocket with the intake opening 17. It will be noted that the walls are also arranged in the same manner as are the walls of the steam pocket,

one wall being inclined as indicated at 22 and the other wall being straight as shown at 23 whereby the steam is directed into the pockets at the required angle.

In operation, the steam is supplied through the steam supply pipe 18 and into the branch pipe 19 and through the extension pipe 20. The steam from the extension pipe 20 enters the space between the rotors and forces the rotors outwardly since they are slidably mounted on the shaft 5'. This makes a pipe connection with the outer plate 3' and the steam through the branch pipe 19 enters the intake openings 17 in the plate and is thereby conducted into the pocket 13. Since the intake openings 17 are in axial alinement as shown in Fig. 3 and the pockets in the two rotors are out of axial alinement it will be obvious that only one pocket will be supplied with steam at a time and the supply of steam will be alternately furnishedto the pockets in the tworotors as the device is actuated. The steam entering one of the pockets will expand as it is emitted from the opening 17, and thereby cause a pressure to be exerted on the straight Wall 14 of thepocket to im part rotary movement to the rotor. This continues in each of the pockets while steam is supplied so that the rotary movement of the rotors is continued and power isthereby transmitted to the drive shaft 5.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings have reference towhat might be considered to be the approved or preferred form of my invention. I desire it to be understood that I may make such changes in the construction. combination and arrangement of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to se-- cure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a steam turbine, the combination of a drive shaft, two independent rotors mounted for sliding movement on the drive shaft and keyed thereto to rotate with the drive shaft, each disk having a seriesof steam pockets formed therein, the said pockets opening in the outer faces of the rotors,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

spring means interposed between the inner faces of the rotors to maintain the rotors in spaced relation to provide a space between the rotors, and means for supplying steam to the pockets of the rotors and to the space between the said rotors for action on the walls of the pockets and for maintaining the rotors in spaced relation.

2. In a steam, vturbine, the combination of a drive shaft, a housing having the drive shaft extended 1 therethrough, plates provided with central hearings to receive the said drive shaft, the said plates being equipped with openings, thesaid rotors each having a series of pockets adapted to mg 3 a housing having a centrally located shaft equipped with keys, plates fastened to the ends of the housing and provided with bean; ings to support the shaft, centrally in the housing, rotors mounted on the shaft withinthe housing and keyed with the said keys to rotate with the shaft and permit longi-- tudinal sliding movement of the;rotorson the shaft, aseries of pockets formed in each rotor, the pockets in one rotor being out of axial alinement with the pockets in the other rotor, each of the said plates havinginlet openings iii-axial alinement and adapted to registerwith the said pockets in the rotors, a steam supplypipe having branches connected to the inlet openings and an extension extended centrally through the liousing and into the space between the rotors to supply steam to the space between the rotors for urging the latter against'the said plates.

In testimony whereof I my signature in presence of two witnesses. I

*RED A. LUKE.

Witnesses: 5

Roy SWEENEY,

R. H. WIEDMAN.

Washington, D. G. 

